graceful

adjective grace·ful \ ˈgrās-fəl \

Updated on: 24 Nov 2017

Definition of graceful

: displaying grace (see ¹grace 3) in form or action : pleasing or attractive in line, proportion, or movement

a graceful dancer

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gracefully

play \ˈgrās-fə-lē\ adverb

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gracefulness

noun

See graceful defined for English-language learners

Examples of graceful in a Sentence

He has become a very graceful dancer.
the graceful movements of a ballerina
She was a graceful young woman with delicate features.
the long, graceful neck of a swan
His writing is clear and graceful.
There was no graceful way to say no to their offer.

Recent Examples of graceful from the Web

The most graceful of the three buildings so far is the Bridge, designed by the New York architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi to lubricate the campus’s frank closeness between academe and commerce.

— justin davidson, Daily Intelligencer, "The Views (Real and Virtual) From Cornell Tech," 13 Sep. 2017
But the graceful exit and months of public silence were very far from the end of the story.

— gabriel sherman, The Hive, "Jared Kushner Adds Charles Harder to Legal Team As West Wing Pressure Mounts," 17 Oct. 2017
Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer-winning play is almost too deft and graceful to be true, a canny blend of comedy and genuine emotion shot through with references to race, religion, aging and death.

— robert w. butler, kansascity, "Take a memorable and moving ride with ‘Driving Miss Daisy’," 6 Oct. 2017
Ohtani has an unusually graceful delivery for a pitcher his size.

— dylan hernandez, latimes.com, "Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani could be double threat in big leagues," 29 Sep. 2017
Watching him prepare each drink is a mesmerizing study in poise and dexterity; graceful and exacting, as Japanese bartenders are revered for in the West.

— naren young, CNT, "Best Bars in Singapore Right Now," 28 Sep. 2017
The seamlessly flowing choreography gives the male dancers an extended opportunity to display their muscular dynamism, the women their buoyant and graceful liquidity.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Triumphant new 'Orphee' presages strong partnership of Lyric Opera, Joffrey Ballet," 24 Sep. 2017
Her jazz performances are graceful yet sassy, marrying precise, fluid choreography with a personality that bubbles over.

— amanda coyne, Cosmopolitan, "8 Women To Watch at This Year's Miss America Pageant," 9 Sep. 2017
At its heart, this is a nerdy linguistics movie, which Villeneuve elevates to an entirely different experience using a number of subtle, intricate, and graceful filmmaking tools.

— Esquire, "And the Best Picture Should Be…," 25 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'graceful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.